The United States has traditionally provided significant assistance to Pacific island countries. Many of these countries and regions still use the U.S. dollar as their currency and, absent their own armed forces, rely on the U.S. military for defense. For decades, America has made an important contribution to peace and stability in the Pacific region.
That is until the administration of President Donald J. Trump, whose decision to terminate many USAID projects has dealt a serious blow to the Pacific region’s healthcare, civil infrastructure, and civilian sector in general. Cutting off aid has had a major impact on less powerful nations. The withdrawal of USAID support by the U.S. has left Japan, Australia, Taiwan, and others questioning how best to respond to help maintain a free and open Pacific region. However, it will be difficult to fill the power vacuum left by Washington’s decision to withdraw, leaving the region no choice but to set priorities and respond selectively.
Unsurprisingly, attention is now turning to China’s actions. Beijing puts a lot of emphasis on relations with Pacific island countries, both because some countries in the region maintain diplomatic ties with Taiwan and because of China’s long-term competition with the U.S. China recently signed a security agreement with the Solomon Islands and has been moving forward with policing cooperation with Kiribati. China is also cooperating with a number of countries in the region on resource development. In late May, the Third China-Pacific Island Countries Foreign Ministers’ Meeting was held in Xiamen. In attendance were the foreign ministers or equivalent cabinet members of Niue, Tonga, the Federated States of Micronesia, the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Papua New Guinea, the Cook Islands, Nauru, Fiji, and Samoa. During the meeting, several agreements were adopted, including the “Joint Statement of the Third China-Pacific Island Countries Foreign Ministers’ Meeting” and “China’s Initiative on Deepening Cooperation with Pacific Island Countries on Combating Climate Change.”
In this joint statement, China has established itself and the Pacific island countries as a “community with a shared future,” stating that it will not attach political conditions to any engagement with the region. Instead, it reiterated support for the Pacific island countries’ efforts to seek strength through unity, while fully respecting their ethnic cultures and traditions. China also included the phrase, “no empty promises.” This is likely a criticism of the aid provided by the U.S. and other developed countries to the region.
China and these island nations have also agreed to uphold humanity’s common values of peace, development, equity, justice, democracy, freedom, and respect for international law. While these terms may sound similar to those used by Western countries, in China’s usage, words like “democracy,” “freedom,” and even “international law” all are prefaced “with Chinese characteristics.” In this way, China is seeking to shape global initiatives through its own discourse. Third, on the Taiwan issue, the statement notes that “All parties recognize that there is but one China in the world, that Taiwan is an inalienable part of China’s territory, and that the government of the People’s Republic of China is the sole legal government representing the whole of China.” This likely takes into account the fact that certain countries in the Pacific region maintain diplomatic ties with Taiwan. Fourth, many Pacific island countries have agreed to adopt China’s Global Development Initiative, Global Security Initiative, and Global Civilization Initiative, and will work with China to advance the building of a community with a shared future for mankind. China has welcomed them into the “Group of Friends of the Global Development Initiative,” and continues to support and assist the Pacific island region “as it can” in economic development and livelihood improvement. Fifth, China has established a framework for cooperation in areas such as climate action, poverty alleviation and development, disaster prevention and mitigation, and police training, and this will be promoted along with Belt and Road cooperation and the “2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent.”
Looking at this joint statement, which also covers other areas of cooperation, it is clear that China is seeking to bolster its ties with Pacific island countries and other regions that do not maintain diplomatic ties with Taiwan. It is important to note that this cooperation is not limited to economic and civilian matters, but extends to police training and more. Just as the People’s Armed Police is a part of the People’s Liberation Army, China’s focus on security aligns with Xi Jinping’s internal administrative framework, with its emphasis on national security.
The consequences of the Trump administration’s reduced engagement with the Pacific Island region are obvious. Those countries that have championed the “Indo-Pacific” concept will need to respond appropriately, adjusting their approach to the nation-building and social conditions of each island country and region.
